Nov 2012 - Nassau Journals

4 THE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2012
MONMOUTH COUNTY EDITIONS
The Colts Neck Journal
The Holmdel Journal
The Navesink Area Journal
(Including Atlantic Highlands, Fair Haven, Lincroft, Little Silver, Locust,
Middletown, Red Bank, Rumson, Shrewsbury, & Sea Bright)
MERCER AND MIDDLESEX COUNTY EDITIONS
The Journal of Cranbury-East Windsor
(Including the Borough of Hightstown)
The Journal of Plainsboro-West Windsor
The Journal of South Brunswick
(Including Kendall Park, Dayton, and Monmouth Junction)
Vice President/General Manager Josh Gertzog
Art Director (Monmouth) Debra McKenna
Assistant Art Director (Mercer/Middlesex) Lynn Stone
Managing Editor Joanne Colella
Mercer/Middlesex Editor Lori Draz
Office Administration (Monmouth) Nancy Hayes
Marketing Consultants (Monmouth)
Robin Fields Jill Goldbach
Jean Simone Dalesio Debbie Cohen
Marketing Consultants (Mercer/Middlesex)
Kim LaVista Darlene Curiazza
Contributing Writers (Monmouth)
Tony Senk Laura Kolnoski
Les Pierce MaryAnn Miano
Lori Anne Oliwa Jennifer Chauhan
Contributing Writers (Mercer/Middlesex)
Laurel Kornfeld Alice Borowsky
Annie Gonzales Pravin Phillip
Maria Prato
Nassau Publications, LLC and Nassau Journals, LLC are known as
the most respected and recognizable community publications in
the areas we cover. Each month, we deliver high-quality, relevant,
and compelling articles of local interest to our readers, along with
attractive and effective advertising for the hundreds of successful
businesses and professionals who have partnered with us year
after year. Each issue is mailed directly to residences and
businesses throughout each community, and distributed to local
public points of interest.
CONTACT US
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East Windsor, NJ 08520
Email thejournalnj@gmail.com
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Monmouth Deadlines
Advertising - 13th of month • Editorial - 15th of month
Mercer/Middlesex Deadlines
Advertising - 6th of month • Editorial - 8th of month
In case of error or omission, publisher’s liability, if any, will not exceed charge for space occupied by the error. Nassau
Journals, LLC is not responsible for typographical errors that do not decrease the value of an advertisement.
We Will Never Forget
Each month, I use this column to extol the virtues of The
Journal. This month, it’s a little different, because of a
November event coming up. On November 6, 2012, I
am going to be doing something that even surpasses reading The
Journal:
Voting.
To some of you, this is a “no brainer.” You
vote in every election, you feel that it’s important
to have your voice heard, and you are proud of
the fact that you have the right to vote in
“land of the free.”
Some of you never vote. You
say “nothing’s going to change,” or
“the candidates are the same,” or,
in some cases, “my vote just
doesn’t matter.” I also hear a lot of
“I don’t have time.”
I have always subscribed to the theory
that if you don’t vote, you lose your right to complain. And since
almost everyone likes to complain, I think it makes sense to vote.
So that’s the easy part. However, do you encourage your
friends and family to vote? What if you know they have different
opinions than you? Do you encourage them in that case?
That’s a little harder. If you are voting for candidate A and
you know your friend favors candidate B, do you still encourage
them to vote? My answer is “yes.” As contrary as that may sound,
I am more concerned about getting as many people as possible
to vote than I am about who gets elected.
The partisanship that pervades our country now makes this
almost a crazy thought. We look at “the other candidate” as almost
anti-American. Yet the fact that he or she is a candidate is
exactly what makes them American. They are part of a free election,
where majority actually rules. You can make your voice
known by voting for one candidate or the other.
Here’s my strategy on picking a candidate to vote for:
1) Be selfish. Which candidates will fight for legislation that
will help me as an individual?
2) Be selfless. Which candidates will fight for legislation
that will benefit the most people?
3) Think about the past. What has worked in the past, and
what might work again?
4) Think about the future. What has changed in our society
that makes the past obsolete no matter how attractive returning
to those days might be?
5) Go with your gut. After these other steps, picking the candidate
is still an emotional choice. Do your homework,
make some educated choices…but then go with what
you feel is “right.” It will be a choice you can live with.
But most importantly, vote. No matter what you think about
the individual candidates of either…or both…major parties, not
casting your vote is a true insult to those who fought to make this
country great. Don’t insult them…and yourself…by staying out
of the fray.
See you at the polls on November 6.
Josh Gertzog
October 2012